However, it is not illegal for people to participate in this form of binary options trading in Australia. In this regard, brokers from Australia and other parts of the world can offer their services to people based in Australia. Currently, there are many brokers in the country, some that are offshore and others that are licensed and approved by the ASIC. We have tested and verified all the platforms on our list of brokers to be reputable in Australia.
Probably one of binary options’ most desired advantages that attract many traders is its simplicity. It has a simple premise that gives you only two (thus, the term “binary”) options and outcomes. Based on your informed guess as per various factors and patterns, you’ll choose and make a prediction on the asset’s movement if it will be true at a specific point in time. It’s a straightforward “yes or no” proposition where you’ll get a fixed percentage of your investment if you’re successful or none if you’re unsuccessful. That’s why it’s also called an asset-or-nothing option.
It might shock investors to know that binary options are in fact, not categorized as “financial options” under the U.K’s Financial Services Act, but instead they are regulated under the U.K. Gaming Commission where binary option trades are actually classified as “bets.” In the U.K. gambling debts are known as “debts of honor” and are not enforceable in the court system.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) warned Australian investors on 13 February 2015 against Opteck, an unlicensed binary option provider.[29] The ASIC later began a focused effort to control unlicensed derivative providers, including "review" websites, broker affiliates, and managed service providers related to binary option products.[30]
While binary options may be used in theoretical asset pricing, they are prone to fraud in their applications and hence banned by regulators in many jurisdictions as a form of gambling.[4] Many binary option outlets have been exposed as fraudulent.[5] The U.S. FBI is investigating binary option scams throughout the world, and the Israeli police have tied the industry to criminal syndicates.[6][7][8] The European Union is publishing regulations that will ban binary options trading.[9] ASIC considers binary options as a “high-risk” and “unpredictable” investment option.[10]